of transportation.
Tonight on North Beat, school scare.
Somebody was carrying what appeared to be a firearm.
Two yellow knife schools go into lockdown today after reports of a suspicious person
carrying a gun in the area.
And from Russia with bombs.
They should back off and stay out of our airspace.
Why did Russia send a bomber plane over the Arctic?
And out of the dark, Yukon Energy explains why the territory has been hit by so many
power outages this winter.
Good evening and welcome to North Beat.
I'm Randy Henderson.
The search continues tonight for a young man who was seen carrying what looked to be a
rifle on the streets of Yellowknife this morning.
Two schools were locked down for several hours after RCMP received calls from people who
said they saw a teenager in the area walking around with a gun.
Jennifer Hunt has the story.
RCMP received the tips early this morning just as school was starting.
The callers described seeing a young male 12 to 15 years old walking in the Range Lake
area.
We had three different witnesses call in advising that somebody was carrying what appeared to
be a firearm.
RCMP immediately notified the schools.
Our first step is that we lock our doors to the outside world and ascertain that it's
safe within our schools.
After searching the school and patrolling the area, by 9.45 the police informed the
schools that it was safe to start letting people back in and out, even though they hadn't
found anyone matching the description.
Extensive patrols of the area resulted in us not being able to locate the individual.
So we were unable to find out whether or not the item was a firearm.
And police are still conducting patrols of the area and an investigation is still ongoing.
That was enough for the schools to reassure parents that there was no cause for concern.
My wife just phoned me about what's going on at school and I just came over here and
see if everything's alright.
And according to my co-worker, they heard that everything is okay now.
So I'm okay now and I'm going back to work.
When the RCMP come and say that they've stood down from the investigation, that's their
way of saying everything is absolutely fine and that's what they've told me and that's
the premise we're working under.
But so far the RCMP have no leads and the investigation continues.
Police are patrolling the area tonight and asking people in the area to be cautious and
report anything unusual.
Jennifer Hunt, CBC News, Yellowknife.
Differing opinions tonight about an incident near Canadian airspace last week.
No one denies two Russian bombers flew close to Arctic waters.
It happened just a day before US President Barack Obama's visit.
But is that a troubling sign or no big deal?
As Julie Van Dusen reports, the answer depends on who you ask.
The Minister of Defence has some tough words for the Russians.
Don't mess with Canada's airspace.
Peter McKay says two Russian bombers approached Canadian airspace last week.
NORAD dispatched two CF-18 fighter jets to the scene.
They sent very clear signals that are understood that aircraft was to turn around, turn tail
and head back to its own airspace.
McKay questions the timing a day before President Obama's visit to Ottawa.
It was a strong coincidence which we met with a presence as we always do of F-18 fighter
planes.
McKay says the Russians are increasing the frequency of these flights and he doesn't
like it.
We should back off and stay out of our airspace.
A sentiment echoed by the Prime Minister.
I've expressed at various times the deep concern our government has with increasingly
aggressive Russian actions.
Many countries are trying to stake a claim in the Arctic because of its rich reserves
of oil and gas.
But the head of NORAD says these incidents are common.
The Russians are in international airspace, they have a right to train and we're just
trying to make sure that we continue to monitor those aircraft.
And he says there have been more than 20 incidents of Russian bombers being turned back by NORAD
jets.
Critics wonder why McKay revealed the information about the Russian bombers now.
These kinds of things happen all the time.
The question is why is he raising it now?
As I said, if he wants to have a little game of Cold War, do it in his basement and don't
do it on the world stage.
When asked about Peter McKay's comments, a Russian spokesperson said the February 18th
flight was routine, violated no one's airspace and to suggest otherwise, he said, is a farce.
Julie Van Dusen, CBC News, Ottawa.
Canadian Rangers are gathered in Iqaluit this week for the largest training session ever.
At the same time, mayors from high arctic communities are in the Nunavut capital for
the first ever High Arctic Council.
The groups share a common interest, Arctic sovereignty.
But as Alan Auxhok reports, they have very different ideas about how to preserve it.
The federal government has big plans for the Canadian Rangers.
It wants their numbers to increase from around 4,000 to 5,000 by 2011.
Arctic sovereignty has been a priority for Prime Minister Harper, and threats to Canada's
disputed borders were made real today, with the announcement that a Russian bomber had
been confronted by CF-18s last week.
Access to oil, minerals and the thawing Northwest Passage is at stake.
This week, standard introductory training is being delivered to new recruits for the
very first time.
This is the fourth Canadian Ranger DP-1 course that one Canadian Ranger Patrol Group has
ran since October 2008.
We will graduate the 56 students this Sunday, and that will give us a total of 123 new Canadian
Rangers that we've put into the CF since October 2008.
The High Arctic is the front line for sovereignty debate, and we were relocated there in the
1950s, and it's a widely held belief that this was carried out in the interest of Canadian
sovereignty.
This week, leaders from those communities gathered in Iqaluit, organizing to make their
case for supporting sovereignty by investing in the people who live there.
Why are people in Greece for it and Resolute anyway?
And that is because of the High Arctic relocation.
So Canada's claim on the North is a direct result by the formation of those two communities.
So now those two communities are there, and sometimes people are stranded there because
of the high cost of flights.
Leaders from those communities want more support from the federal government.
They say supporting economic development will do more for sovereignty than guns and ice
breakers.
One mayor even suggested the Northwest Passage could be a source of income.
Those people who want to use the Northwest Passage lets us know that they want to use
it.
They also have policies to follow to make sure they are making small impact.
When they talk to us, they try and make the community comfortable.
Even there is opposition, they try and make everyone happy.
The New Rangers are busy training to patrol some of the toughest terrain on Earth, and
they say they are ready to do their part.
Canadian Rangers will be busy in the coming months.
Operation Nunaliwut will patrol Ellesmere Island in April, and they'll assist the full-time
Canadian forces at Operation Nanook in August.
Alan Auxach, CBC News, Iqaluit.
A British expedition is set to leave Kikaktauljuak today on a mission to measure ice thickness
in the Arctic.
Scientists hope their research will show how much longer the Arctic ice shelf will survive
before it melts away.
The three-person team will travel about 1,000 kilometers by foot and pulling heavy supply
sleds the whole way.
The journey will take some three months and includes hazards like freezing temperatures,
unstable ice, and polar bears.
It's your turn.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns for North Beat, here is how to contact us.
The Yukon RCMP are asking for the public to help them find a man wanted in the United
States.
RCMP say 58-year-old Frederick Cecil McLean may have recently been seen in Whitehorse.
McLean is listed as number 15 on the U.S. Marshals Service Most Wanted list.
He's also been featured on America's Most Wanted television program.
McLean is wanted on multiple charges of sexual assault on children stemming from investigations
in the United States.
There's more information about McLean on the website usmarshals.gov.
NWT police are investigating a second suspicious death in the territory in as many days.
RCMP from Yellowknife are in Gamete tonight investigating the death of a woman in the
tiny Clichon community.
Earlier today, they arrested 34-year-old Terry James Vittal in connection with the death.
At this time, they're describing him as a person of interest.
And last night, police flew into Colville Lake to investigate what they described as
a sudden death.
Today, they said a man in his 30s was found dead in his house.
Police are providing few details about either death.
Neither community has an RCMP detachment.
A Betcho Co. artist has been cleared of animal neglect charges.
A Crown lawyer says there wasn't enough evidence to convict Archie Bolio.
He was charged with animal neglect last fall after 34 of his dogs were put down.
Photos taken just before the dogs were euthanized showed distressed dogs in a muddy dog yard.
Some were chained up, some were not.
A veterinarian who examined the dogs before putting them down said there was no sign of
water or food in the yard.
Bolio maintains that his animals were well cared for.
He's still facing a charge of failing to appear in court.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
He says he failed to show up because of a death in his family.
An update now for you on this fall's narwhal hunt near Pond Inlet.
As you might remember, back in November, nearly 600 narwhal were harvested after they became
trapped in the ice.
The harvest was monitored by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, along with the Local
Hunters and Trappers Association.
Now the Mitimata League Hunters and Trappers Organization has given the green light by
Environment Canada to discard the narwhal remains into the Arctic Ocean.
HTO Chair Jaco Alalu says the cleanup could begin as early as Monday and could take up
to two weeks.
About 25 bones will be kept as a memorial for future generations and tourists to help
them understand what happened.
Just ahead, neighbourhood pubs get the green light in the Yukon.
Now that the changes to the Territories Liquor Act are finally approved, that's next.
There's news tonight on the troubled Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Former Supreme Court Justice Frank Iacobucci negotiated the settlement agreement that led
to the creation of the commission.
And now there's word he'll step in again as a facilitator for the process to find new
commissioners, at least one of which is expected to be of Aboriginal descent.
We're looking at the generation of names generally.
We're not sort of restricting ourselves in any way.
We really want to get outstanding Canadians to come forward and serve on this commission,
which all of us associated with it think is the most important aspect of the settlement
in many ways.
Yukoners will soon be able to wander down to a neighbourhood pub and enjoy a glass of
beer.
Legalizing neighbourhood pubs is just one of a number of amendments to the Yukon Liquor
Act, which also includes high fines for bootlegging or serving intoxicated patrons.
The amendments take effect April 1st.
And as Sandy Coleman reports, many bar owners agree the changes are long overdue.
The most notable of the amendments to the Liquor Act is that stand-alone pubs will soon
be legal in the Yukon.
To have a cocktail lounge type license, there was a minimum number of hotel rooms that were
required and that will no longer be the case starting April 1st.
Very overdue.
Very, very overdue.
When Chris Schneider helped open up an Earl's Restaurant in Whitehorse a year ago, it was
under the impression he could operate a lounge, but found instead he had to operate it as
part of the restaurant.
We have a lot of people coming up from the lower provinces that are shocked that they
can't order just a drink and not be pressured to order food.
We have locals that still come in here to try and order just drinks and not food.
And it's uncomfortable for us.
We don't like putting that pressure on, but obviously we want to follow liquor law.
So to be able to remove that restriction, it's huge.
The changes to the rules is also a huge relief for Keith Jacobson.
He bought the old Capitol Hotel and Bar in downtown Whitehorse and has been working on
creating a pub and brew house.
Well, right here we've got 16 taps that are all going to be fed from a dozen kegs in the
back.
It's going to be the most in the territory by I think a factor of 33% more.
With the requirements that hotel rooms no longer have to be attached to a bar, Jacobson
says he plans to open the doors mid-April and eventually remove the entire second level
of what was old rooms and replace them with revenue generating offices.
Very welcome news because now it takes out the political risk out of this endeavor.
I mean, we've been working on this project for the last, well since April.
So I guess that it's going to be an exact year by the time it's done.
And so the biggest problem was knowing exactly when we were going to be able to open the
door.
The changes were first proposed more than six years ago.
After a change of government and further consultations, the changes were finally passed a year ago,
but they still didn't take effect because it was felt more public consultation was required.
The responses that we received indicated that people were comfortable with the regulations
and would like to see them move forward.
With the amendments finally coming into effect, bar owners are breathing a huge sigh of relief.
This year has been the most difficult and trying year of my life.
When we opened this place, I don't think you could wipe the smile off my face for three
weeks.
Sandy Coleman, CBC News, Whitehorse.
It's been a frustrating year for customers of Yukon Energy and it's been even more frustrating
for the power company.
Numerous power outages have prompted the head of Yukon Energy to explain why.
Doris Bill has more.
Power outages have been a regular occurrence in Whitehorse this year.
In total, there have been 35 power outages on the Whitehorse-Ajac-Farrow power system.
Yukon Energy says 16 power outages were caused by Mother Nature.
The rest was due to aging equipment.
The aging infrastructure that we have is catching up to us, or we're not catching up to it in
terms of the capital.
So we've reevaluated our capital budget again this year.
This year we're spending about $6 million and looked at where the priority should be
in order to make sure that these reliability issues are addressed.
Morrison says some of the problems have been caused by governors at the Whitehorse hydro
station.
Governors regulate the level of power leaving a generating station.
He says the problems have been temporarily fixed and further repairs should be done over
the summer, along with improvements to the grid.
Morrison is hoping that will eventually reduce the number of outages.
Yes.
I'm confident it will, especially after we get through this year with some of the changes
we'll be able to make.
And we'll be able to, I hope, get our customers back to feeling that we do have a reliable
power system.
We're going to be able to reduce these outages, I hope, significantly this year.
That's good news for business owners who say they've lost business because of the power
outages.
What ends up happening is we have to close our store down.
So it actually costs us quite a bit of money, especially when it goes out about 3 o'clock
in the afternoon, which is usually our busiest time.
So it's a bit frustrating for that.
Morrison says he understands why people like McCarthy are concerned and upset.
He's asking people to be more understanding.
He says if there is another power outage, there is a full backup system in place and
they will get the system up and running.
So you Connors won't be without power for long.
Doris Bill, CBC News, White Horse.
Thank you.
There's more fallout tonight from De Beers decision to cut back production and eliminate
jobs at Snap Lake Mine.
The company has also let its vast holding of exploration leases expire, signaling less
work to find new mines.
And at the root of the problem, half the NWT economy is related to mining, most of it feeling
the crunch of the weakening market for rough diamonds.
The general manager of the Chamber of Mines says it means more bad news even if it looks
like Diavik and Icati mines are solid for now.
I mean, what store do you work at?
You know, there will be less donuts sold, there will be less coffee sold.
I think, you know, mining is half of our economy in the Northwest Territories and I think we'll
see spinoff effects in logistics, trucking, airlines.
We'll see spinoffs in the retail side where a lot of miners are big spenders.
Vedic says small communities will feel the pain too because many residents work for the
mines or local contractors working for the mines.
And now for a few new jobs in the mining industry.
The Denny Nukwaf First Nation in Fort Resolution has a new deal with Avalon Rare Earth Metals.
The company is drilling at Thor Lake, about halfway between Yellowknife and Hutzokay.
Acting Chief Louis Balsley says three local people are already working for Avalon and
three more are in training.
Three more will be hired by the First Nation to build storage boxes for drilling core samples.
It's a big boost I guess in First Nations.
I mean, you know, you're in as a leader in your community and you've got to find work
for your people so that's what it's all about.
Like you know, any bit helps.
Like no work in the community is not healthy.
Once you start bringing in work in the community, you know, you're going to get healthier.
Balsley says the new business was started with $115,000 from the federal and territorial
governments and it's badly needed because the economy in Fort Resolution has been declining
for years ever since the sawmill closed.
A former Nunavut cabinet minister has landed a new job with First Air.
Ed Pico was hired as the airline's Director of Government Relations.
He says his main task is dealing with issues between the Hamlets and First Air.
I'm not involved in any lobbying, asking for contracts or so on, but if a mayor or
if anyone like that has a problem or an issue with a ticket or freight or cargo, then I'm
able to like to say what the issue is and try to intercede and help.
Nunavut's Integrity Act says former ministers have to wait six months before taking part
in contract negotiations with the territorial government.
Pico held senior portfolios including health and social services and education during his
13 years in politics.
He retired from office last November.
Pico will be free from the Integrity Act's restrictions in April.
Coming up, reaching out in Eskasoni, Elijah Harper travels to the troubled Cape Breton
community to inspire young people after four teens commit suicide there this winter.
I'll be honest, at first I mean I was really frightened.
Can you imagine a man my size playing hopscotch?
You know what?
It really got things going.
I mean, you're related.
I just stopped what I was doing and asked my daughter what she wanted to do.
Very good.
Next week's assignment is to eat dinner together every night and tell me what changes in your
family.
Class dismissed.
Give your family everything.
Give them your time.
From the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Government of Canada has introduced a wide range of tax cuts to benefit people and
families from all walks of life.
Lower taxes are part of Canada's Economic Action Plan.
And there are tax savings for you.
All you have to do is reach out and claim them.
Find out what you're entitled to claim and how to file your tax return online at Canada.gc.ca
slash tax info.
You've earned it.
Claim it.
A message from the Government of Canada.
With March break just around the corner, Canada and the United States are warning travelers
about the dangers of going to Mexico.
Police and drug traffickers are fighting a war using automatic weapons and grenades.
The hot spots are along the U.S.-Mexican border.
Cass Roussey reports.
Sun and sand is usually what winter weary Canadians yearn for during spring break.
But in Mexico these days, getting caught in the middle of drug wars may also be on the
itinerary.
More than 6,000 people were killed in drug violence in Mexico last year.
And it's already reached 1,000 people this year.
Nine out of ten of the people who have been killed in this fight attributable to organized
crime are criminals.
More than 100,000 Americans travel to Mexico's resort towns during spring break every year.
Much of the violence now is in border towns and usually tourists aren't the target.
Still the U.S. State Department has issued a travel warning urging Americans to be aware
of the increased violence.
We thought it was prudent to advise Americans who may be traveling to Mexico and to take
extra precautions.
And you know, we work closely with the Mexican government to try to see what we can do to
help stem some of this violence.
No similar travel warnings from Canada's Foreign Affairs Department, but an updated travel
report on its website urges Canadians to exercise a high degree of caution in Mexico.
A lot of the areas that Canadians are traveling to, Cancun and Acapulco, Porto Vallarta along
the coast, is far away from the border regions right now where there's gang flare-ups.
Sound advice being dispensed by this Toronto travel agency.
Everywhere our passengers travel, even when they travel within Canada, we always tell
them to exercise caution.
Travelers are taking notice.
I think our parents are more happy that we did choose Dominican instead of Mexico because
of what's going on right now.
After all, spring break is a rite of passage for students where excessive alcohol and not
violence should be the only thing worrying parents.
Cass Rousy, CBC News, Toronto.
It's the kind of prank kids sometimes play, repeatedly calling someone as an annoying
joke.
But Marie Eve Dean is no child and she made, get this, 10,000 pointless calls to 911 operators
in Montreal over a 15-month period.
That's more than a prank, it's a crime.
Today Dean was in court to find out whether she'd be sent to jail.
Andrew Chang reports.
Just a few months ago it seemed like it was all a game to the Dean family.
In the courthouse they openly mocked journalists who wanted to know why Marie Eve Dean thought
it would be a good idea to prank call 911 10,000 times.
We still don't have a full explanation, but today her lawyer insisted Dean is a changed
woman.
Sorry, she said, I'm sorry.
And today a judge accepted that apology.
Marie Eve Dean has undergone months of court order therapy and her therapist has given
her very positive feedback.
That satisfied the judge enough for him to spare Dean jail time, instead giving her a
seven-month suspended sentence with 18 months probation.
If Dean didn't fully understand the consequences of her actions, these are the people who did.
That happens, but never to that level.
Pierre Foucault says Dean's antics likely did not endanger anyone's life.
In Montreal alone there can be nearly 5,000 911 calls a day, so 10,000 prank calls over
a 15-month period don't actually cause massive backlogs.
It would be a different story, though, if other Marie Eve Deans out there decide to
play copycat.
If you multiply that by 10, 20 people in the area of Montreal, that may cause a big problem.
Just come out the courthouse, it's a wake-up call, you know, and it's not the first time
she's come out the courthouse.
Marie Eve Dean and her lawyer just hope today was her last appearance here.
A suspended sentence means if she stops going to therapy, uses a cell phone or heaven forbid,
and calls 911 again, she will serve out her full sentence in prison.
But Dean says not to worry.
She's seven months pregnant and understands the value of 911 now.
She just hopes she'll never have to use it herself.
Andrew Chang, CBC News, Montreal.
It's been seven months since Tim McLean was stabbed to death on a Greyhound bus near Portage
le Prairie, Manitoba.
Today his family and friends held a vigil in Brandon to ask for changes to laws that
allow people with mental health problems to not be held criminally responsible.
R.T.
Pol was there.
It was an emotional day in Brandon for family and friends of Tim McLean.
About 30 people gathered here for a vigil held in his honour.
He was a young, vibrant young man with a lot of years ahead of him to live.
McLean's mother, Carol Dedeli, told the crowd how difficult it still is for her to deal
with what happened.
I cannot leave my home to drive to the city without seeing at least one Greyhound bus.
And I wonder, is that the bus my son was slaughtered on?
Did they ever get the blood out?
I don't want these thoughts.
They just come.
A Brandon woman who didn't know the family before organized the vigil.
I don't want him to ever be forgotten.
I believe we have to continually keep him alive by having vigils.
Right now, McLean's family is getting ready for the trial of the man who stabbed him to
death.
It starts on Tuesday next week.
I was in the Crown Attorney's office yesterday for a meeting and I got the details of this
case.
You don't want to know them.
It is the worst murder I've ever heard of.
And it was my child.
She fears the man accused of killing Tim, Vince Lee, won't be held criminally responsible
for the brutal attack because of mental illness.
They need to be held responsible.
Mental illness does not absolve you of your responsibility for your actions.
That's why Dadelli wants to see laws changed.
Right now, if you're found not criminally responsible, you don't go to jail.
You get medical treatment and you could be released if a mental health review board finds
you to be stable.
Today's vigil was also one way to gain support for Tim's law.
The legislation she's proposing that would mean the most violent, unpredictable people
who have committed a crime and have mental health problems should be locked up, in some
cases for life.
There's no reason why he should be let back into the world.
These t-shirts and buttons were being sold today to raise money for lobbying efforts
to make Tim's law a reality.
And although Dadelli knows the law wouldn't come into effect in time for Lee's trial,
he just wants to make sure no one else faces the same struggles she has.
We're gonna make this change happen, my boy.
Arthi Pohl, CBC News, Brandon, Manitoba.
For the last two days, we focused on the story of a Montreal couple whose ski adventure went
terribly wrong in British Columbia.
Turns out getting lost in beautiful B.C. happens more often than you might think.
Amanda Margerson has the story.
Every skier knows it's there, and most want it.
Fresh powder.
But finding it often means crossing out of bounds.
As this Quebecer discovered a few weeks ago, doing that is risky business.
As good as our intentions were, we ended up losing sight of the rope and ended up skiing
down a ridge that we shouldn't have skied down.
And we ended up in a stream bed, hopelessly lost.
It's eerily similar to what happened to two other Quebecers this week, though their ordeal
sadly had a different ending.
Benedict spent only 24 hours in a snow cave he built, and he knew someone at the Revelstoke
Resort would miss him.
What saved Benedict was being able to send a Blackberry message to friends and staying
where he was until help arrived the next day.
But if you are lost in the woods or on the slopes, all of the safety experts agree.
Stay where you are.
Scratch out an S.O.S. in the snow or use logs.
And the one thing Marie-Josée Fortin and Gilles Blackburn did not do, tell someone first where
you think you're going.
There are other, more high-tech ways of being found.
This GPS device is specially designed for backcountry trekkers.
I can push a button that connects directly to 911, Mario Raymond says, and that will
send out the helicopters.
The Quebec-based electronics manufacturer says the gear is becoming more and more popular
with skiers.
This one now understands why.
There were a total of four people rescued from that mountain that day, including us.
And all of those skiers were from out of province.
That suggests that all too often tourists or visitors are skiing in places they don't
know well, and too many aren't equipped for the unexpected.
Amanda Margeson, CBC News, Montreal.
Help is on the way for people in the Nova Scotia community of Eskasoni.
Four young people on the reserve committed suicide this winter.
And now Elijah Harper is going to visit the area this weekend, along with First Nations
actors and journalists, with a message for young people.
The CBC's Gary Mansfield has more.
Today there's some new voices in the wind in Eskasoni.
Famous actors, a national Aboriginal hero, and a native Olympic athlete, all here to
give hope and inspiration to Mi'kmaq youth in a game called life.
When I was 16, I was contemplating myself about suicide.
This afternoon actor Adam Beach spoke with Eskasoni students by video conference from
Washington.
He spoke to kids about his life.
He wants to reach out to the First Nations community because they helped him in the past
when he played lead role in Disney's Squantos, which was filmed in Cape Breton.
He says taking your life is not the answer.
You don't have to do that.
You don't have to give your life away for people to hear you.
All you have to do is talk about it.
Youth here got the message loud and clear.
He actually told us what he's been going through and that's exactly what we've been going through,
so it's pretty amazing.
To me now, you know, he's really someone and someone you can look up to.
Glenn Gould is an actor and singer.
He helped organize the youth rally this weekend.
He says he just made a few calls and people reacted quickly because it's a crisis situation.
To bring them through the communities, to see the youth and to speak to them and inspire
them and give them hope.
So it's something else to know that the rest of the world, they care because it's sad.
Beach says he wants to give something back.
He's offered to fly interested Eskasoni students to Winnipeg to train for two weeks at his
new production company.
Tomorrow, corner guest comedian Lauren Cardinal, Elijah Harper and other accomplished Canadian
Aboriginals will be in Eskasoni for the youth rally.
Gary Mainsfield, CBC News, Eskasoni.
Coming up from wrestling legend to murder suspect, the complicated case of wrestler
Vern Gagné.
Quick access.
Criminal justice.
Identical.)
Finally, congratulations to pakai Lyon
ISM going home.
Joinanzo bull.
The government of Canada has introduced a wide range of tax cuts to benefit people and
families from all walks of life.
Lower taxes are part of Canada's economic action plan, and there are tax savings for
you.
All you have to do is reach out and claim them.
Find out what you're entitled to claim and how to file your tax return online at Canada.gc.ca
slash tax info.
You've earned it.
Claim it.
A message from the United States.
It's not as quick as he promised, but U.S. President Barack Obama says the American combat
mission in Iraq will end in August of next year.
He made the announcement in a speech to military troops and officers in North Carolina today.
Obama says 100,000 troops will be withdrawn from Iraq during the next 18 months.
And he says all U.S. troops will be out by the end of 2011.
There's also been a change of policy on the media coverage of the repatriation of fallen
U.S. soldiers.
The Obama administration is reversing an 18-year ban on images of the return of war dead.
It will now allow photographs of flag-covered caskets when families of the soldiers agree.
The White House banned the practice during the first Gulf War in 1991.
To Pakistan now and the ongoing protests near the capital of Islamabad.
For the third day in a row, supporters of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif clashed
with police.
Sharif called for the protests after Pakistan's highest court upheld a ruling banning him
from public office because of a criminal conviction.
Sharif accuses the current president of orchestrating the court ruling to keep him from running
in elections four years from now.
The Vatican says the apology of a Catholic bishop does not go far enough.
Richard Williamson was expelled from Argentina after denying the scope and central details
of the Holocaust.
He returned to Britain this week.
He has claimed the Nazis did not have gas chambers in their concentration camps and
that 200,000 to 300,000 Jews, no more, were killed in those camps.
Nancy Durham has more from London.
He was kicked out of Argentina and hounded when he arrived back home in the U.K.
Richard Williamson was supposed to be thinking about an apology this week.
What he came up with was this declaration, posted on a website of the Ultra-Conservative
Society to which he belongs.
Williamson says if he had known beforehand the full harm and hurt he would cause, especially
to the church, but also to survivors and relatives of victims of injustice under the Third Reich,
he would not have made his remarks.
But he doesn't say he was wrong about this.
I believe there were no gas chambers, yes.
Only two in 300,000 Jews perished in Nazi concentration camps, but not one of them by
gassing in a gas chamber.
Williamson made those remarks on Swedish television in January.
Three days later, the Vatican invited him back into the church, but a public outcry
forced it to ask for an apology.
Today the Vatican said his statement wasn't good enough and demanded he unequivocally
and publicly recant his views on the Holocaust.
That's what the Jewish community also wants.
Full apology would mean I am very sorry that I said what I did before.
I recognize now that I have all the information that there were six million Jews and many
others who were murdered in concentration camps and elsewhere.
Williamson also got a warning today from the European Union's Justice Commissioner, who
said the bishop could face legal action if he repeats his claims because most EU countries
have laws against Holocaust denial.
For now, Williamson is laying low here in the country of his birth.
Nancy Durham, CBC News, London.
In the heat of the moment, many times police can't tell if a gun is real or fake and could
shoot someone holding it.
That's a real concern for many police detachments.
Here's Christine Barak now with more.
This may look like a heavily armed police raid, but it's not.
It's actually a bunch of friends playing airsoft, a military game kind of like paintball.
But if we didn't tell you that, would you know that gun isn't real?
If the answer is no, don't feel bad.
Even police officers have a hard time spotting the difference.
Over the last two years, Toronto police have seized nearly as many fakes as real handguns.
Durham regional police showed CBC Marketplace just a few imitations they've confiscated.
That type of a handgun was used in Florida.
Boy took it to school and police were called and he turned and pointed the gun at the officers
and they shot him.
Dead.
Because they don't know if it's a real gun or not.
And that's exactly why Constable Todd Petzold fought for change.
There's no law against carrying imitation guns, but he convinced Durham politicians
to ban anyone under 18 from possessing or using fake guns that look real in public.
My focus was get these off the street, get them out of the hands of children.
I don't want to go home at the end of the day knowing that I've shot somebody because
he had a toy in his pocket.
Even the man who runs this simulated combat zone agrees there should be an age restriction
and a license requirement.
That I think would raise the bar to the point where the majority of people wouldn't bother
going through the licensing processes.
So when Junior goes to Canadian Tire and says, Dad, can I have one of those?
The answer is when you're 18 and when you get your license.
The best part of a meal with family and friends can often be the talk around the table.
Tonight there's a table conversation that's about the table itself.
Marisa Dragani explains.
It looks like a nice antique dining room table, but this piece of furniture in the officer's
mess at CFP Shiloh is so special, only important visitors get to dine at it.
Legend has it that the dead body of General James Wolfe was laid out on this table after
he died on the Plains of Abraham in 1759.
They wouldn't have just left him lying on the ground.
So one option is that he was placed on the table in a house just to keep the body in
a more honoured state.
The British reportedly gave the table to the Royal Canadian Artillery in 1871 when the
unit was formed.
It's been here at CFP Shiloh for more than half a century.
And since that time, Canadian Artillery units have moved the table with them whenever they've
changed garrisons.
There's absolutely no historical evidence proving that General Wolfe did indeed lie
on this table, but when it was refurbished in 1983, a little plaque was found underneath
it reading Wolfe Table, 1759.
There was a big eureka moment when this silver plaque emerged and everyone went, wow, that
proves it.
But on sober reflection, it doesn't really prove anything other than the fact that someone
put a silver plaque on the table.
Absolutely rubbish.
Totally ridiculous.
Who knows what the table was.
This Canadian historian doesn't believe the legend but says it could be plausible.
They would not have found a table on the battlefield, but when they went into Quebec, they would
probably be looking for a place where they could lay out their general, so tragically
lost.
It brings you closer to the moment.
Even if you can't say for sure this is what the table was used for, the fact that it might
have been is thrilling when you stand around it and look at it.
True or not, the legacy of General James Wolfe always seems to spice up the dinner time
conversation around this table.
Marisa Dragani, CBC News, Shiloh, Manitoba.
Getting your kids to eat more fruits and vegetables can seem like an impossible challenge.
That's why the folks at 5 to 10 a day created a website with lots of tips to help parents
meet that challenge.
Childhood is a critical time for developing healthy eating habits.
For helpful tips, visit 5 to 10 a day dot com or call 1-888-939-3333.
Should a person with Alzheimer's disease be held accountable for his actions, police in
Minnesota are pondering that tough ethical question this week after the implication of
a former wrestling champion.
Vern Gagne, now 83 years old, has been implicated in the death of a fellow nursing home resident.
CBC's Lee Cowan has the story.
Those who knew him best say this was the real Vern Gagne, one of the original pro wrestlers,
paving the way for Hulk Hogan and Jesse the Body Ventura.
His matches were appointment television on Saturday nights in Minnesota and his charitable
donations made him a giant both in the ring and out.
In his 80s, he was even inducted into the Museum of Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
But some say it's the echoes of that wrestling past that could have spoken to him in all
the wrong ways.
Police are now investigating whether Gagne should be charged for killing 97-year-old
Helmut Gutman by throwing him to the ground, as family says, at the nursing home where
they both lived outside Minneapolis.
We anticipate wrapping up our investigation in the next week or so.
The problem, though, Gagne has Alzheimer's.
He doesn't remember the altercation or its result.
And now even Gutman's own family is questioning whether charges should even be filed.
Criminal intent and state of mind are key factors.
Gutman, the classical musician and an accomplished cancer researcher, suffered from dementia
and memory loss himself.
Fifty percent of people who live in nursing homes have Alzheimer's or a related dementia,
and it does require a different level of care.
Gagne's daughter says as upset as the family is, it's hard to fault a man who can't remember
his own past, let alone the present.
Lee Cowen, NBC News, Chicago.
After 20 years and 24 Emmy Awards, the TV show The Simpsons is set to reach another
milestone.
It will soon become the longest running prime time series in the U.S.
It's hard to imagine a world without Bart, Homer and Marge.
And for the younger set, there hasn't been a time without them on air.
The Simpsons debuted in North America in December 1989.
It's now in its 20th season, which matches the record of the Western drama Gunsmoke.
Two more seasons of The Simpsons have been ordered, securing its place in TV history.
His real name was Theodore Geisel, but to generations of children who grew up with his
offbeat books, he's simply Dr. Zeus.
Monday is the 105th anniversary of the author and the artist's birth, and today at Bridalwood
Community Elementary School in Ottawa, they threw him a party.
As Danny Globerman tells us in his own special way, the doctor's unique rhymes will still
wow to this day.
With a love of Zeus books from their own younger years, the Bridalwood teachers set sights
on a new set of ears, devoting a day to the genius of rhyme, sharing laughs and lessons
and a really good time.
The next thing we knew, we had 290 hats and cupcakes and a full day of fun.
It's such a long road and it's such a hot day.
Would you mind if I rode on your horns for a way?
Engaging the kids was really a cinch, thanks to Horton and Lorax and a guy named The Grinch.
So no wonder that given all of his glories...
He connects with the kids with all his stories.
He makes up funny words.
I like when he rhymes.
He makes up really weird names for characters and what they look like and everything.
I do not like them.
And it's not just the laughs, but the lessons he teaches that allow him to grab each generation
he reaches.
Kids learn a lesson from him.
He still teaches lessons in all books.
If his books are funny, they still teach you stuff.
He talks about bullying, about cleaning up after yourself, about being equitable, about
including others and somehow he's able to do it using the simplest and silliest of words
which just makes him magical.
So as fast as you can think of something to do, you will have to get rid of thing one
and thing two.
So in a world that's constantly changing, that's fast-paced, uncertain and always rearranging,
there's comfort in knowing cats and hats still survive and a good doctor's lessons continue
to thrive.
Well done everybody, let's go.
Danny Globerman, CBC News, all the way.
The party continues in Cornerbrook, Newfoundland tonight.
It's music, music, music at the East Coast Music Awards long weekend.
The CBC's Doug Greer has been soaking up the music and files this story.
I didn't have to go far or wait around to hear these guys.
The Discovery Stage at the Legion just down the street.
MTQ got together at St. Francis Xavier in Antigonish.
They know there's not a huge market for their brand of jazz but...
This has been a huge opportunity for us.
It's amazing to be here with some really big names and some of our favourite bands and
just to be able to check out all the new talent and everything that's here on the Discovery
Stage has been really great.
And even I mean the ferry ride over where there was tons of musicians, we had a great
time then and it's just been a blast the whole time.
Mr. Bassman is from Clarenville.
Ronald Hines.
Not the Ronald Hines.
The other.
The up and coming I guess.
And the ECMAs are just what the up and coming need.
A big part of this kind of thing is meeting people.
So even if we're not winning an award or stuff like that, we're just playing one show, we
still get to meet important people and guys who might check us out and like us and keep
us in mind.
From PEI, it's the Sidewalks, a new band with a single and already at the ECMAs.
We consider the ECMAs to be a big milestone in any artist's career.
We're hoping to get out of this some contacts that will help us get off the island more
often, play some better venues, meet some producers and take it from there.
Jamie Fitzpatrick is taking in as much music as possible.
He hosts a weekly CBC radio music program.
He says the ECMAs are helping to professionalize the music business in Atlantic Canada.
Young bands understand that now better than ever.
It's because for years people have been coming to events like this, meeting other people
who work in the music industry from Atlantic Canada and beyond.
And they've learned how to be careerists and not just solely artists.
WCBC News, Cornerbrook.
And if you're in the mood for a movie instead of music this weekend, Australia starring
Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman comes out on DVD.
Here's the scenes Yelena Adzic with why this epic tale is worth watching.
Hello, this is your Movie Scene Review.
Now today we've got something a little different for you because all across the country this
past month has been so snowy, slushy and icy.
Here's a chance for you to stay warm at home.
With this look ahead to the DVDs set for release next week.
Hot on the dancing heels of Hugh Jackman's turn as Oscar host, his epic film Australia
hits the small screen.
Director Baz Luhrmann does a magical job of making Nicole and Hugh shine in this creative,
surreal World War II saga.
If you love love, I highly recommend this DVD.
Now if you're in a scrappy mood, you may want to check out Ashes of Time Redux by legendary
action director Wong Kar-Wai.
After being spurned by a woman he loved, this man turns to a life of elimination by putting
people who have been wronged in touch with a lethal swordsman.
The battles are fierce and the scenery is stunning.
Here's a look at another battle, this one in Seattle.
Charlize Theron and Canadian Joshua Jackson star in this reality based story about the
massive protests against the World Trade Organization back in 1999.
Shot partially in Vancouver, the film blends dramatic performances with actual footage
to accurately portray the political uprising.
Here's a glimpse at a personal uprising with Heaven on Earth by Canadian director Deep
Almeta.
A woman leaves behind her life and dreams in India, only to face a nightmare in Canada.
This film is about the lengths our imagination will go to to free us from the struggles of
an unhappy life.
It's moving, beautiful and a must see on your list of homegrown films.
And another to add to that list, My Winnipeg by the ever original Guy Madden.
Arthouse fans will appreciate the poetry and the artistry behind every shot of this kooky
valentine to the director's hometown.
Because we dream of where we walk and walk to where we dream, we are always lost.
Love that film, so original.
Okay, well all of these DVDs will be out by next Tuesday, so get yourself cozy and enjoy.
You can see our half hour show, The Weekend Scene on News World, that's Fridays and Saturdays.
For the Movie Scene, I'm Yelena Adzik.
Well that's all the time we have for North Beat tonight.
We leave you tonight with some video of a creature who recently visited Winnipeg.
He's a wild bald eagle who keeps stopping by the Assiniboine Park Zoo on his yearly
migration up north.
Zookeepers think he likes to land here because of the food they put out.
Apparently he keeps stealing it from the fox enclosure.
That's one brave bird.
I'm Randy Henderson, thanks for watching.
The Government of Canada has introduced a wide range of tax cuts to benefit people and
families from all walks of life.
Lower taxes are part of Canada's Economic Action Plan.
And there are tax savings for you.
All you have to do is reach out and claim them.
Find out what you're entitled to claim and how to file your tax return online at Canada.gc.ca
slash tax info.
You've earned it.
Claim it.
A message from the Government of Canada.
We have lived with forest fires on the land for thousands of years.
Forest fires are a natural part of life in the forest, like the wind or the rain.
Forest fires renew and restore the old forests and keep them healthy.
They get rid of insects and diseases that could kill trees and cause even bigger forest
fires.
They return old branches, logs and underbrush to the soil.
Forest fires open the forest floor to sunlight for new growth.
Animals like moose, hare and bison feed on this new growth.
Forests and animals need forest fires.
We need the forest and the animals.
And we need to make wise choices about which forest fires to fight and which ones we leave
for the natural cycle of life in a forest.
Remembering is difficult.